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Siblings’ Power and Influence in Polyadic Family Conflict During Early Childhood
Author(s) -
Della Porta Sandra,
Howe Nina
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
new directions for child and adolescent development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1534-8687
pISSN - 1520-3247
DOI - 10.1002/cad.20200
Subject(s) - argumentation theory , sibling , sibling relationship , psychology , power (physics) , socialization , social psychology , developmental psychology , context (archaeology) , birth order , sociology , epistemology , population , demography , philosophy , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
This study examined sibling behavior during polyadic family conflicts (involving three or more family members) by identifying operational conflict elements (i.e., roles, topic), power strategies, effective influence of power, and social domain argumentation. Polyadic conflict sequences (n = 210) were identified in 35/39 families with two siblings (aged 4 and 6) and their parents observed at home. The dominant conflict topic, siblings’ use of power and power strategy executed in relation to social domain argumentation, revealed unique qualities of conflict in the polyadic family context; effective use of power strategies to facilitate favorable outcomes differed by sibling birth order. Our account presents a nuanced view of the intricacies of polyadic family conflict, which provides unique opportunities for children's learning and socialization by siblings and parents.